Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville on Their Sundance Drama 'Two Mothers'

The two actors star alongside Naomi Watts and Robin Wright.

Xavier Samuel (who you may recognize from Twilight) and James Frecheville play two ripped surfer boys and best friends in controversial film Two Mothers, and they certainly get a vote for best on-screen eye-candy at Sundance.

We talked to the charming young actors about filming in Australia, surfing on screen, and starring in a movie with a delicate subject matter.

This film is a bit mature. Is that what drew you guys to the project?Xavier Samuel: I think it's great to be involved in stuff that's kind of un-ignorable. I don't search for controversy in everything that I do, but I guess the controversy is like a symptom of the story. It's not controversial for [the characters]. They're just in love. I'm more interested in what happens to the characters and also the people involved. Anne Fontaine is an awesome director. She's fiercely intelligent, and a really great woman—very charismatic. We all got along with her really well. And then, of course, actors like Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are extraordinary. You'd be stupid not to jump at the idea of being involved with those guys."

Your film pushed the limit and surprised the viewer. At the premiere, everyone seemed in disbelief during some of the scenes.XS: It's kind of like a bizarre reaction, isn't it? When something's kind of uncomfortable, controversial, dangerous, I think it promotes all sorts of different reactions."

What was the hardest scene to film?XS: I think the film is quite intense, and the scene towards the end where my character Ian feels very betrayed by everyone else around him. It's always challenging going to that place, and negotiating that kind of material, and making sure that you're not thinking about it too much. Ian initiates the relationship with his best friend's mother, and it's really about love. He's madly, deeply in love with her. Then for reasons that he can't understand, they decide to stop it and put an end to it, and say, 'We've gotta move on with our lives, we can't keep doing this.' And he just really doesn't understand why that's necessary. I certainly think that it's a complicated thing."

It was a beautiful film! Was it filmed in Australia?James Frecheville: In Cedar Rocks, which is a seaside town. I think it's got a resting population of about 28 people a year."XS: Yeah, it's literally one of the kind of untouched places in Australia."JF: It's about a four-hour drive north of the city."XS: It's just a magical kind of place to work and stay. It's great."

Where are you guys from in Australia?XS: I grew up in Adelaide and moved to Sydney when I finished school."JF: Melbourne, born and bred."

For so many scenes, you guys are surfing together and you're both great. Did you go to surf school?XS: We told the director we could surf, so she sent along a secret video camera person to the beach to film us surfing, to see if we were actually good. She ended up watching the tapes and basically accused us of lying. That's pretty much how we got to know each other—just out there learning to surf."JF: It was great. Our working week for a good part of our spring was flying out to Sydney and surfing Monday to Friday. then flying back for the weekend."XS: Pretty amazing gig."JF: And it was great because it really calcified a friendship between us."

Where do you guys live now?JF: "We float."XS: "The running joke is that we're homeless. It's just because Australia is so far away, you can't really go back on the weekends. You end up spending some time in Sydney, and some time in L.A."JF: "It's also sort of what your year is looking like too. After I finished a job in America in the middle of last year, I just went back home and hung out there for six months."XS: "It's good to go back and refuel and process what's been going on."

So what's next for you both?JF: "I'm attached to a few things, but they're very..."XS: "...they're secretive? You can't talk about it?"JF: "No, it's just that there's no point in talking about something unless you've actually been on set and have done it."XS: "This industry is a house of cards. So until you're actually standing in the catering line, you want to be careful exactly what you talk about. But I'm working with my best friend—another actor named Mark Winter—and Hugo Weaving, Don Hany, and a couple of other Australian actors in a film set in a prison. There's a program within the prison where they rehabilitate the prisoners by tending to these injured birds—big, glorious owls. It's a really beautiful story. It's called Healing, and that'll start in a couple of weeks.JF: "And that's shooting in Victoria, so I might very well just drive in for a lunch."